System for storing and transporting ladings

ABSTRACT

A self-supporting container is removably mounted on a truck for transportation to and from a support surface, the truck having jacks thereon for transferring the container between the support surface and the truck, and the container having two pairs of retractable leg assemblies for supporting itself upon the support surface, each leg assembly including a horizontally pivotable housing and a vertically pivotable leg, and being shiftable between a storage configuration with the housing and the leg extending longitudinally alongside the container and an intermediate configuration with the housing extending laterally outwardly of the container and the leg hanging downwardly from the housing. In transferring the container from the truck to the support surface, the container is raised by the jacks and the leg assemblies are shifted from their storage configurations to their intermediate configurations, then the container is lowered until the legs contact the support surface whereupon elongated pivot pin slots in each leg accommodate the downward vertical movement of the housings with respect to the legs to a supporting configuration wherein abutment surfaces on the leg assemblies and the container cooperate to lock the leg assemblies against any further movement until the container is raised from the support surface.

Ullltfid States Patent 1 Vaitys 51- Jan. 16, 1973 [541 SYSTEM FOR STORING AND TRANSPORTING LADINGS [75] Inventor: Ramojus P. Vaitys, Evanston, Ill.

[73] Assignee: General American Transportation Corporation, Chicago, Ill.

[22] Filed: Feb. 16, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 115,612

Primary ExaminerAlbert J. Makay Attorney-Prangley, Dithmar & Vogel, Sandler and Stotland Y 1 1 ABSTRACT.

A self-supporting container is removably mounted on a truck for transportation to and from a support sur-v face, the truck having jacks thereon for transferring the container between the support surface and the truck, and the container having two pairs of retractable leg assemblies for supporting itself upon the support surface, each leg assembly including a horizontally pivotable housing and a vertically pivotable leg, and being shiftable between a storage configuration with the housing and the leg extending longitudinally alongside the container and an intermediate configuration with the housing extending laterally outwardly of the container and the leg hanging downwardly from the housing. In transferring the container from the truck to the support surface, the container is raised by the jacks and the leg assemblies are shifted from their storage configurations to their intermediate configurations, then the container is lowered until the legs contact the support surface whereupon elongated pivot pin slots in each leg accommodate the downward vertical movement of the housings with respect to the legs to a supporting configuration wherein abutment surfaces on the leg assemblies and the container cooperate to lock the leg assemblies against any further movement until the container is raised from the support surface.

24 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PATENTEUJAII 16 an 3.710.966 sum u [1F 4 I24 I29 I30 A l o 1/ II III/I 1/11 SYSTEM FOR STORING AND TRANSPORTING LADINGS The present invention is directed to novel systems for storing and transporting containers for containing ladings, and to novel components of such systems, including a container and a road vehicle for transporting the container to and from a stationary support surface.

It is the general object of this invention to provide a system which includes a self-supporting container removably mountable on a truck and provided with retractable leg assemblies for supporting the container on a stationary support surface, each of said leg assemblies including lock mechanism for automatically locking saidleg assembly against movement when the container is supported thereon.

A principal object of this invention is to provide a system for storing and transporting containers for ladings, the system comprising a self-supporting container for ladings and a road vehicle for transporting the container to and from an associated stationary support surface; the container including a first bolster disposed adjacent to one end of the container and a second bolster disposed adjacent to the other end of the container, a first pair of support leg assemblies disposed adjacent to one end of the container and a second pair of support leg assemblies disposed adjacent to the other end of the container, each of the leg assemblies being mounted for pivotal movements to accommodate shifting of the leg assembly between a storage configuration and a supporting configuration, each of the leg assemblies in the storage configuration thereof having all parts thereof disposed closely adjacent to the container for facilitating unencumbered transporting thereof, each of the leg assemblies in the supporting configuration thereof extending substantially vertically downwardly from the container for contacting the underlying support surface to firmly support the container thereon, and lock mechanism for respectively restraining the leg assemblies against all pivotal movements when the leg assemblies are in the supporting configurations thereof; the road vehicle including a frame pro- 1 vided with road wheels and a first body bolster disposed adjacent to one end of the frame and a second body bolster disposed adjacent to the other end of the frame, the container bolsters and the body bolsters being arranged so that the container bolsters can be positioned respectively upon the body bolsters, the leg assemblies in each pair of support le'g assemblies being spaced apart a distance to receive the road vehicle therebetween when the leg assemblies are in the supporting configurations thereof, and lifting means on the frame for causing relative vertical movement between the container and the frame; whereby in transferring the container from the road vehicle to an associated support surface the lifting means is operated to raise the container bolsters above the body bolsters to provide clearance for the shifting of the leg assemblies from the storage configurations thereof to the supporting configurations thereof and then the lifting means is operated to lower the container and the leg assemblies onto the support surface for support thereon solely by the leg assemblies, and whereby in transferring the container from the associated support surface to the road vehicle the lifting means is operated'to raise the container to provide clearance for the shifting of the leg assemblies from the supporting configurations thereof to of the leg assembly among a storage configuration and an intermediate configuration and a supporting configuration, each of said leg assemblies in the intermediate configuration thereof having the leg housing extending laterally outwardly of the container and the leg extending substantially vertically downwardly from the support housing and spaced from the associated surface, each of the leg assemblies in the supporting configurations thereof having the leg housing extending laterally outwardly from the container and the leg extending substantially vertically downwardly from the leg housing and resting upon the associated support surface to firmly support the leg housing and the container thereon, and first lock structure on each of the leg housings and the container and second lock structure on each of the support legs, shifting of the leg assemblies from the intermediate configurations to the supporting configurations thereof effecting movement of the first and second lock structures to a locking condition adapted for engagement with each other to lock the leg assemblies in the supporting configurations thereof.

It is another object of this invention to provide a system of. the type set forth, wherein each of the leg housings is mounted for pivotal movement about a first axis and each of the support legs is mounted for pivotal movement about a second axis, each of the leg assemblies in the intermediate configurations thereof being arranged to accommodate translational movement of the leg housing and the support leg with respect to each other for shifting the leg assemblies between the intermediate configuration and the supporting configuration.

It is another object of this invention to provide a system of the type set forth, wherein the lock mechanism includes a container abutment surface on the container adjacent to each of the leg housings and first and second housing abutment surfaces on each of the leg housings and first and second and third leg abutment surfaces on each of the legs, shifting of the leg assemblies from the intermediate configurations to the supporting configurations thereof effecting movement of the abutment surfaces to a locking condition cooperating with one another to lock the leg assemblies in the supporting configurations thereof, the first leg abutment surfaces cooperating with the container abutment surfaces inthe locking condition for restraining the leg housings against pivotal movement about the first axes, the second leg abutment surfaces cooperating with the first leg housing abutment surfaces and with the weight of the container in the locking condition for restraining the leg housings and the legs against translational movement with respect to each other, the third leg abutment surfaces cooperating with the second leg housing abutment surfaces in the locking condition for restraining the legs against pivotal movement about the second axes.

Yet another-object of this invention is to provide a container of the type set forth for use in a system of the type set forth.

Further features of the invention pertain to the particular arrangement of the parts of the system and the container whereby the above-outlined and additional operating features thereof are attained.

The invention, both as to its 7 organization and method of operation, togetherwith further objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the followingspecification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a system constructed in accordance with and embodying the features of the present invention, and including a container removably supported on a road vehicle for transportation thereby;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of one of the leg assemblies of the container of the present invention in the storage configuration thereof, and illustrating the orientation of the leg assembly with respect to the adjacent parts of the system;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the container of the present invention, shown supported solely by its leg assemblies on a stationary support'surface;

FIG. 4 is a further enlarged fragmentary perspective view of one of the leg assemblies of the present invention in the supporting configuration thereof, showing the interrelationship of the locking abutment surfaces;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the leg assemblies of FIG. 2, illustrating the initial movement of the leg assembly from its storage configuration;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevational view of one of the leg assemblies of the present invention, illustrating the movement of the support leg into the supporting configuration thereof; I

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view in vertical v the road vehicle jacks fully retracted to permit the road vehicle to be driven away.

Referring now in particular to FIGS. 1 and 7 to 9 of the drawings, there is illustrated a roadway vehicle,

generally designated by the numeral 50, having removably mounted thereon a container, generally designated by the numeral 100. The road vehicle ineludes a truck tractor having road wheels 57 and a trailer, generally designated by the numeral 60, supported on road' wheels 69. The trailer 60 includes a center sill frame comprising a pair of channel beams, generally designated'by the numeral 65, and extending substantially horizontally and parallel to each other. Each of the channel beams includes an upstanding bight portion 61 and a horizontally extending top flange 62 integral with the bight 61 along the, upper edge thereof, and a bottom flange 63 integral with the bight 61 along the bottom edge thereof and disposed substantially parallel to the top flange 62. In use, the channel beams 65 are disposed with the bight portions 61 thereof facing each other and interconnected at spaced apart points therealong by connecting plates 67 secured thereto, as by welding.

Mounted on the support beams 65 are two pairs of lifting assemblies, generally designated by the numeral 70, and respectively disposed adjacent to the opposite ends of the trailer 60, the lifting assemblies 70 of each pair thereof being arranged in lateral alignment with respect to the support beams 65. The lifting assemblies 70 are all identically constructed, whereby only one of the lifting assemblies 70 will be described in detail. Each of the lifting assemblies 70 includes a mounting bracket, generally designated by the numeral 71, including a main plate 74 disposed in a substantially ver tical plane and having an attachment flange 72 secured by suitable means, such as rivets 73, to the outer surface of the bight portion 61 of the adjacent channel beam 65, the main plate 74 extending laterally outwardly from the attachment flange 72 and beyond the outer edges of the top and bottom flanges 62 and 63 of the channel beam 65. Secured to the main plate 74 at the outer end thereof is a lifting jack, generally designated by the numeral 75, which includes a vertically extending cylinder 76 and a piston rod 77 having secured to the upper end thereof a generally circular bearing plate 79. In use, the piston rod 77 is adapted for vertical movements to effect raising and lowering of the container 100,'in a manner to be described more fully hereinafter.

Mounted on each of the top flanges 62 of the channel beams 65 are two pairs of body bolsters 80 in the form of flat plates overlying the top flanges 62 'of the support beams 65 substantially parallel thereto, and secured thereto by weldments as at 81. Each pair of body bolsters 80 is disposed substantially in' lateral alignment with one of the pairs of lifting assemblies 70, with the body bolsters 80 disposed laterally inwardly of the lifting jacks 75. Four container locks, generally designated by the numeral 90, are respectively carried by the container bolsters 80, each of the container locks including a shaft 91 rotatably received in complementary openings in the associated body bolster 80 and channel beam top flange 62 and extending vertically upwardly therefrom, and an elongated head 93 fixedly secured to the shaft 91 at the upper end thereof.

,Referring now also to FIG. 3 of the drawings, the container includes a generally rectangular wall structure 101 surrounded at the bottom edge thereof by a generally rectangular frame 103. Secured to the wall structure 101 and depending therefrom are two hoppers 105, each comprising four interconnected and downwardly converging side walls 106, closed at the bottom ends thereof by a base plate 107 which is preferably provided with suitable discharge openings therein (not shown). The side walls 106 of thehoppers are reinforced by a pluralityiof stiffening ribs 108 spaced therealong and by frame members 109 intermediate the two hoppers 105. Preferably, the container 100 is provided with a suitable coverhaving openings therein for loading dry bulk ladings into the container 100.

Secured to the base plate 107 of the container 100 and extending laterally outwardlytherefrom are .two

secured along the inner edge thereof to the adjacent hopper side wall 106 and secured along the outer edge thereof to the bottom edge of a bracing strut 113, the upper end of the bracing strut 113 being secured to the adjacent side wall 106 of the associated hopper 105.

The container bolsters 110 are arranged on the container 100 to be respectively received on and supported by corresponding ones of the body bolsters 80 on the trailer 60, for thereby supporting the container 100 on the trailer 60 for transportation of the container 100 to and from an associated stationary support surface 85. Each of the container bolsters 100 is provided with an elongated opening 115 therein, shaped complementary to the head 93 of the associated container lock 90, for receiving the head 93 therethrough when the container bolsters 110 are positioned on the body bolsters 80. Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9 of the drawings, it will be noted that in order for the container lock heads 93 to be received through the openings 115 of the container bolsters 110 for proper positioning of the container 100 on the trailer 60, the container locks 90 must be rotated to the position illustrated in FIG. 9, wherein the longitudinal axis of the head 93 is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the elongated opening 115. It will be noted that the length of the container lock shafts 91 is such that, after the container bolsters 110 have been seated upon the body bolsters 80, with the container locks 90 received in the lock openings 115, the lock heads 93 will be disposed above the upper surfaces of the container bolsters 110. Thus, the container locks 90 may be rotated 90 to the positions illustrated in FIG. 7, in which positions the container lock heads 93 cannot pass through the locking openings 1 15, whereby the container 100 is firmly locked in place on the body bolsters 80 of the trailer 60.

Referring now also to FIGS. 2 through 6 of the drawings, the container 100 is also provided with four support leg assemblies, each generally designated by the numeral 150, the support leg assemblies 150 being arranged in two pairs respectively disposed adjacent to the opposite ends of the container 100. Each pair of support leg assemblies 150 is disposed substantially in lateral alignment with the adjacent pair of container bolsters 110, with each support leg assembly 150 being disposed laterally outwardly of the corresponding container bolster 110. The support leg assemblies 150 of each pair of support leg assemblies are constructed as mirror images of each other, and each pair of support leg assemblies 150 is constructed and arranged as a mirror image of the other pair of support leg assemblies 150, whereby only one of the support leg assemblies 150 will be described in detail.

Each of the support leg assemblies 150 comprises leg mounting structure, generally designated by the numeral 120, a leg housing, generally designated by the numeral 130, and a support leg, generally designated by the numeral 140. The leg mounting structure 120 includes a horizontally disposed support plate 121 secured along one edge thereof to the outer surface of the adjacent bearing strut 113 of the adjacent container bolster 110, and extending laterally outwardly therefrom. Integral with the outer edge of the support plate 121 and extending downwardly therefrom substantially normal thereto is a relatively short abutment flange 122, the support plate 121 preferably being of such a length that the abutment flange 122is disposed outboard of the adjacent lifting assembly 70. Secured to the underside of the support plate 121, intermediate the inner and outer ends thereof, and extending vertically downwardly therefrom is a short cylindrical jacking seat 123 shaped complementary to the bearing plate 79 of the lifting jack 75. The mounting plate 121 is so arranged on the container 100, that when the container 100 is properly seated upon the body bolsters 80, the jacking seats 123 will be respectively disposed in vertical alignment with the associated lifting jacks for respectively receiving the bearing plates 79 therein to facilitate the vertical movement of the container by the lifting assemblies 70.

Secured to the upper surface of the support plate 121 intermediate the inner and outer ends thereof, and extending substantially vertically upwardly therefrom is an upstanding plate 125 connected at the upper end thereof to a horizontally disposed top plate 127 which extends laterally outwardly therefrom to a point substantially in vertical alignment with the outer edge of the support plate 121. Secured to the upper surface of the top plate 127 is the bottom end of a support member 129 and which extends vertically upwardly therefrom, is substantially channel shaped in transverse cross section, and is secured at the upper end thereof to the rectangular frame 103 of the container wall-structure 101. interconnecting the frame 103, the hopper side wall 106, the bracing strut 113, the support plate 121, the upstanding plate 125, the top plate 127 and the support channel 129, and closing the area defined thereby, is a gusset plate 124 to provide additional reinforcement for the leg mounting structure 120. In addition, a bracing strut 126 preferably. extends from the adjacent corner of the frame 103 to a point on the support plate 121 adjacent to the intersection thereof with the upstanding plate 125 to provide still further longitudinal stiffening of the leg mounting structure 120.

The leg housing 130 is carried by the leg mounting structure 120 and is disposed between the support plate 121 and the top plate 127 laterally outwardly of the upstanding plate 125. The leg housing 130 is in the form of a generally box-like structure comprising a pair of upstanding spaced-apart substantially rectangular side walls 131 disposed substantially parallel to each other, and interconnected along the bottom edges thereof by a rectangular bottom wall 133 and along the upper edges thereof by a rectangular top wall 135. Preferably, the walls 131, 133 and 135 of the leg housing 130 are all interconnected by suitable weldments as at 135. The legv housing 130 is mounted for pivotal movement about the axis of a pivot pin 137 which extends substantially vertically through complementary openings in the support plate 121, the top plate 127 of the leg mounting structure 120 and the bottom and top walls 133 and 135 of the leg housing 130, the pivot pin 137 perferably being held in position by means of roll pins 132. The leg housing 130 is spaced outwardly of the upstanding plate 125 of the leg mounting structure 120 a sufficient distance to permit pivoting of the leg housing 130 through substantially about the axis of the pivot pin 127.

, housing 130 extend outwardly a predetermined distance beyond the outer edges of the bottom and top walls 133 and 135 for a purpose to be described more fully hereinafter. The outer edge 136 of the top wall 135 is disposed substantially in vertical alignment with the outer edge of the bottom wall 133, and provides an abutment surface for a purpose which will also be described below. Secured to the underside of the top wall 135 adjacent to the outer end thereof is a guide bracket 138 in the form of a right angle member disposed with the vertex thereof extending downwardly and with one leg thereof extending upwardly and outwardly toward the outer end of the top wall 135 to define an inclined guide surface 139.

Carried by the leg housing 130 is a support leg 140 which comprises a tubular leg member 141, substantially square in transverse cross section and disposed in use between the side walls 131 of the leg housing 130. Two opposed side walls of the leg member 141 are each provided with horizontally aligned elongated slots 142 thereinextending longitudinally of the leg member 141 adjacent to one end thereof. Received through the slots 142 and through complementary openings in the side walls 131 of the leg housing 130 is a pivot pin 145 for pivotally mounting the leg 140 in the leg housing 130, the pivot pin 145 preferably being held in place by means of roll pins 146. Secured to the leg member 141 adjacent to the inner end thereof, but outwardly of the pivot pin 145, is a flat stop plate 143 secured as by welding to the inner or underside of the leg member 141 and extending downwardly or inwardly therefrom a distance slightly less than the horizontal distance between the abutment flange 122 and the outer edge of the bottom wall 133 on the leg housing 130.

It will be noted that the pivot pin 145 and the elongated slots 142 are so arranged that, when the pivot pin 145 is bottomed at the inner or upper ends of the slots 142, the leg 140 hangs freely on the pivot pin 145 in an intermediate configuration illustrated in FIG. 8, and is pivotally movable through at least 180 about the axis of the pivot pm 145. Thedimensions of the leg member 141 and the leg housing 130 are such that this pivotal movement of the leg 140 about the axis of the pivot pin 145 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 6, will be' limited by engagement of the leg member 141 with the front edge of the bottom wall 133 of the leg housing 130 in the intermediate configuration, as illustrated in FIG. 8. When the leg housing 130 and the support leg 140 are disposed in this intermediate configuration, the entire leg member 141 will be'disposed outwardly of the front edges of the bottom and top-walls 133 and 135 of the leg housing 130, whereby the elongated slots 142 and the leg member 141 will accommodate vertical translational movement of the leg housing 130 and the leg member 141 with respect to each other. This vertical translational movement will be limited by the engagement of the upper and lower ends of the elongated slots 142 with the pivot pin 145.

When the pivot pin 1.45 is bottomed at the outer or lower ends of. elongated slots 142, with the leg member 141 extending vertically downwardly, the stop plate 143 will be disposed in engagement with the lower surface of the bottom wall 133 of the leg housing 130 in a supporting configuration, illustrated in FIG. 9, to further limit the translational movement of the leg housing 130 and the support leg 140 with respect to each other. When the leg housing 130 and the support leg 140 are disposed in this supporting configuration illustrated in FIG. 9, the inner end of the stop plate 143 will be disposed closely adjacent to the abutment flange 122 of the support plate 121, the width of the support plate 122 being such that pivotal movement of the leg housing about the axis of the pivot pin 137 will be prevented by engagement of the stop plate 143 with the abutment flange 122. Finally, it will be noted that when the leg assembly 150 is disposed in the supporting configuration thereof, illustrated in FIG. 9, the upper end of the leg member 141 will be disposed substantially in horizontal alignment with the top wall of the leg housing 130 and closely adjacent to the front edge 136 thereof, whereby pivotal movement of the leg 140 about the axis of the pivot pin in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 6 will be prevented by engagement of the upper end of the leg member 141 with the front edge 13 6 of ,the top wall 135. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that when the leg assemblyis in the supporting configuration thereof illustrated in FIG. 9, it is effectively locked against pivotal movement about the axes of either of the pivot pinsl37 or 145. i

' Telescopically received within the bottom or outer end of the leg member 141 is a foot member 147 which is preferably tubular and substantially square in transverse cross section. Secured to the bottom end of the foot 147 is a bearing plate 148 for engagement with the underlying support surface 85 to support the leg assembly 150 and the container 100 thereon. Preferably, the leg member 141 and the foot 147 are each provided with complementary openings 149 therein for receiving a roll pin 149a therethrough to adjust the length of extension of the foot 147 from the outer end of the leg member 141 to compensate for any unevenness in the support surface 85.

. The operation of the system including the roadway vehicle 50 and the container 100 will now be described I container 100 thereon. The roadway vehicle 50 is driven over the support surface 85 until the container 100 is positioned directly thereabove. At this point, the

truck driver or other operator manually rotates the container locks 90 until the heads 93 thereof are disposed in alignment with the lock openings 1 15 in the container bolsters 110, to thereby permit lifting of the container 100 vertically above the body bolsters 80.

The lifting assemblies 70 are then actuated to raise the bearing plates 79 thereof upwardlyinto engagement with the leg mounting structures 120 at the jack seats 123. Further operation of the lifting assemblies 70 will elevate the container 100 above the body bolsters 80 on the trailer 60, this vertical movement of the container 100 being accommodated by passage of the heads 93 of the container locks 90 through the openings 115 in the container bolsters 110..The elevation of the container 100 is continued until it has been raised to a sufficient height that the bearing plates 148 on the support legs 140 will clear the support surface 85 when the leg assemblies 150 are in the intermediate configurations thereof, illustrated in FIG. 8. It will be apparent that, because of the dimensions of the bearing plates 148, this vertical clearance is necessary to permit pivoting of the support legs 140 into their downwardly vertically hanging positions illustrated in FIG. 8.

Next, the four leg assemblies 150 are shifted from the storage configurations thereof, illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 7, in which configurations the leg housings 130 and support legs 140 are disposed in longitudinal alignment closely adjacent to the side walls 106 of the hoppers 105 and substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the container 100, to the intermediate configuration illustrated in FIG. 8. In the storage configuration of FIG.

1, the two legs 140 along each side of the container 100 are disposed with the bearing plates 148 thereof facing each other, the leg assemblies 150 being disposed entirely within the envelope defined by the lateral and I longitudinal extremities of the container 100. The leg assemblies 140 are preferably held in this storage configuration bymeans of support straps or brackets 95 disposed in supporting engagement with the support legs 140, as illustrated in FIG. 2.

After a leg 140 has been disengaged from the support bracket 95, the leg 140 may be immediately lowered to a vertical position by pivotal movement about the axis of the pivot pin 145, but such immediate lowering of the leg 140 will not permit the leg assembly 150 to be moved to the intermediate configuration thereof, illustrated in FIG. 8, since the stop plate 143 will tend to ride under the support plate 121, whereupon engagement of the support plate 143 with the inner surface of the abutment flange 122 will prevent pivotal movement of the leg housing 130 to the position illustrated in FIG. 8.

Accordingly, it is necessary, in shifting a leg assembly 150 from the storage configuration thereof to the intermediate configuration thereof illustrated in FIG. 8, that the leg 140 be held in horizontal position while the leg housing 130 is pivoted outwardly about the axis of the pivot pin 137 to the position illustrated in FIG. 8, wherein the leg housing 130 extends laterally outwardly from the container 100. At this point, the leg 140 may be lowered to the position thereof illustrated in FIG. 8, in which the leg 140 extends substantially vertically downwardly'from the leg housing 130. As described above, pivotal movement of the support legs 140 beyond this vertically downwardly extending position is prevented by engagement of the leg member 141 with the outer edge of the bottom wall 133 of the leg housing 130..

It will be observed that, when the leg assemblies 150 are disposed in the intermediate configurations thereof illustrated in FIG. 8, the support legs 140 are disposed laterally outwardly of the outermost lateral extremities of the trailer 60 to permit passage of the trailer 60 therebetween, as will be described below. When all of the leg assemblies'150 have thus been moved to the intermediate configurations thereof illustrated in FIG. 8,

and any necessary adjustments in the positions of the feet 147 have been made to accommodate any unevenness in the support surface 85, the container 100 is ready to be placed on the support surface 85.

The lifting assemblies are now retracted for lowering the container 100. This lowering is continued until the bearing plates 148 of the support legs 140 engage and rest upon the underlying support surface 85. At this point, the downward vertical travel of the support legs 140 will be stopped by the support surface 85, but the elongated slots 142 in the leg members 141 will permit further downward vertical movement of the leg housings 130 and the pivot pins 145 with respect to the support legs 140. Thus, continued lowering of the container will cause a downward vertical translational movement of the leg housings with respect to the support legs until the pivot pins engage the bottom ends of the elongated slots 142, at which point, the downward travel of the leg housings 130 and the container 100 will be stopped. The leg assemblies will now be disposed in the supporting configurations thereof illustrated in FIG. 9 and, after further retrac tion of the lifting assemblies 70-until they disengage from the leg mounting structures 120, the leg assemblies 150 will provide the sole support for the container 100 on the support surface 85.

As was noted above, when the leg assemblies 150 are thus disposed in this supporting configuration illustrated in FIG. 9, and cooperate to support the container 100 thereon, the leg assemblies 150 will be effectively locked in this supporting configuration. More particularly, pivotal movement of the support legs 140 about the pivot pins 145 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 9, will be prevented by engagement of the upper ends of the leg members 141 with the outer edges 136 of the leg housing top walls'135; pivotalmovement of the support legs 140 about the pivot pins 145 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 9, will be prevented by engagement of the leg members 141 with the outer edges of the bottom walls 133 of the leg housings 130 and by engagement of the stop plates 143 with the lower surfaces of the bottom walls 133 of the leg housings 130; pivotal movement of the leg housings 130 about the pivot pins 137 will be prevented by engagement of the stop plates 143 with the abutment flanges 122 on the support plates 121. The weight of the' container 100 and the contents thereof will securely hold the leg assemblies 150 in this supporting configuration, whereby the leg assemblies 150 will provide a rigid structure capable of resisting both lateral and longitudinal forces which may be applied to the container 100.

It will be observed that the lengths of the support legs 140 are such that when the container 100 is supported thereon, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the container bolsters 110 will be disposed a predetermined distance above the tops of the container lock heads 93, which are the uppermost portions of the trailer 60. Thus, after the container 100 is firmly supported on its leg assemblies 150, the road vehicle 50 may simply be driven from under the container 100.

When the container 100 is empty, and it is desired to remove it from the support surface 85 and replace it with a new full container, the steps of transferring the container 100from the trailer 60, described above, are simply performed in reverse. First of all, the empty trailer 60 is backed under the container 100 between the pairs of support legs 140, the clearance between the legs 140 thereof being sufficient to accommodate this movement of the trailer 60 therebetween, as was explained above. The trailer 60 is carefully positioned beneath the container 100 so that the heads 93 of the container locks 90 are respectively disposed in registry with the openings 115 in the container bolsters 110, and the heads 93 are then rotated so that they are disposed in alignment with the openings 115. The lifting assemblies 70' are then elevated into engagement with the jack seats 123 and the container 100 is raised until the bearing plates 148 of the support legs 140 clear the support surface 85 During the initial portion of this elevation of the container 100, the support legs 140 will remain stationary, in contact with the support surface 85, and the leg housings 130 will be translated vertically upwardly with respect to the support legs 140 until the leg assemblies 150 are disposed in the intermediate configuration thereof, illustrated in FIG. 8. This translational movement of the leg housings 130 with respect to the support legs 140 is accommodated by the elongated slots 142 in the leg members 141. When the container 100 has been raised sufficiently to lift the support leg bearing plates 148 off the support'surface 85, the support legs 140 will hang freely from the leg housings 130 and will be capable of being pivoted about the axes of the pivot pins 145.

Next, the truck driver manually pivots each support leg 140 about the axis of the pivot pin 145 in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 8, until the support leg 140 is substantially horizontal, and then the leg housing 130 is pivoted about the axis of the pivot pin 137 until the leg assembly 150 is disposed in'its storage configuration, illustratedin FIGS. 1, 2 and 7. It will be noted that this shifting of the leg assemblies 150 from the intermediate configurations thereof, illustrated in FIG. 8, to the storage configurations thereof must be I prevented by engagement of the stop plate 143 with the abutment flange 122, this abutment flange 122 having a length such that even in the intermediate configuration of the leg assembly 150, the stop plate 143 will engage the abutment flange 122.

After the leg assemblies 150 have been secured in the storage configurations thereof by the support clips 95, the lifting assemblies 70 are operated to lower the container 100 onto the trailer 60. Thus, the container bolsters 110 will be respectively lowered onto the body bolsters 80, with the heads 93 of the container locks 90 being received through the openings 115 in the con tainer bolsters 110. After the container bolsters 110 have been firmly seated upon the body bolster 80, the container locks90 are rotated to the positions illustrated in FIG. 7, for thereby securely locking the conneed only operate the lifting assemblies 70 to lower the container 100 into place on the support surface 85 and then drive the road vehicle 50 away.

Similarly, this automatic locking operation obviates any latches, pins, bolts, or other loose parts which might become damaged and lost during the transferring of the container 100 to and from the support surface 85. In addition, it will be noted that the shifting of the leg assemblies 150 among the storage and intermediate and supporting configurations thereof is accomplished without any telescoping connections among the parts of the leg assemblies 150. Accordingly, jam-proof and maintenance-free operation of the leg assemblies is provided, since excessive accumulation of dust or severe rusting will not cause'the joints to freeze up or stick. v

It will also be noted that, while the leg assemblies 150, in the supporting configurations thereof, provide adequate spacing between the support legs 140 of each pair of support legs 140 to accommodate the driving of the truck trailer 60 therebetween, the doubly articulated construction of the leg assemblies 150 permits them to be folded to a storage configuration disposed that, when the container is lowered onto the support surface 85 and the leg assemblies thereof are thereby shifted from the intermediate configurations illustrated in FIG. 8 to the supporting configurations illustrated in FIG. 9, the .leg assemblies 150 are automatically locked in this supporting configuration. This entirely within the envelope defined by the lateral and longitudinal extremities of the container 100. Thus, in the storage configurations thereof, the leg assemblies 150 fit easily within the width requirements specified for highway vehicles in transit.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that there has been provided a novel transportation system of simple operation and economical construction for transporting a self-supporting container to and from a support surfaceand supporting the container on the support surface.

In particular, there has been provided a system including a road vehicle for transporting a self-supporting container to and from a support surface, the container being provided with two pairs of support leg assemblies thereon for supporting the container on the support surface independently of the truck.

In addition, there has been provided a novel self-supporting container having doubly articulated support leg assemblies shiftable among storage and intermediate and supporting configurations for firmly supporting the container on the support surface, while at the same time providing compact storage during transit on the road vehicle.

Finally, there has been provided novel leg assemblies on the container which automatically lock themselves in a supporting configuration on being lowered onto the support surface to thereby provide a rigid support structure capable of withstanding both lateral and longitudinal' forces on the container.

While there has been described what is at present considered to be the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that various modifications may be made therein and it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A system for storing and transporting containers for ladings, said system comprising a self-supporting container for ladings and a road vehicle for transporting said container to and from an associated stationary support surface; said container including a first bolster disposed adjacent to one end of said container and a second bolster disposed adjacent to the other end of said container, a first pair of support leg assemblies disposed adjacent to one end of said container and a second pair of support leg assemblies disposed adjacent to the other end of said container, each of said leg assemblies being mountedfor pivotal movements about two different axes to accommodate shifting of said leg assembly between a storage configuration and a supporting configuration, each of said leg assemblies in the storage configuration thereof having all parts thereof disposed closely adjacent to said container for facilitating unencumbered transporting thereof, each of said leg assemblies in the supporting configuration thereof extending substantially vertically downwardly from said container for contacting the underlying support surface firmly to support said container thereon, and lock mechanism for restraining said leg assemblies against all pivotal movements when said leg assemblies are in the supporting configurations thereof; said road vehicle including a frame provided with road wheels and a first body bolster disposed adjacent to one end of said frame and a second body bolster disposed adjacent to the other end of said frame, said container bolsters and said body bolsters being arranged so that said container bolsters can be positioned respectively upon said body bolsters, the leg assemblies in each pair of support leg assemblies being spaced apart a distance to receive said road vehicle therebetween when said leg assemblies are in the supporting configurations thereof, and lifting means on said frame for causing relative vertical movement between said container and said frame; whereby in transferring said container from said road vehicle to an associated support surface said lifting means is operated to raise said container bolsters above said body bolsters to provide clearance for the shifting of said leg assemblies from the storage configurations thereof to the supporting configurations thereof and then said lifting means. is operated to lower said container and said leg assemblies onto the support surface for support thereon solelyvby said leg assemblies, and whereby in transferring said container from the associated support surface to said road vehicle said lifting means is operated to raise said container to provide clearance for the shifting of said leg assemblies from the supporting configurations thereof to the storage configurations thereof and then said lifting means is operated to lower said container bolsters onto said body bolsters.

2. The system set forth in claim 1, wherein said lock mechanism is responsive to the lowering of said container onto the support surface for locking said leg assemblies in the supporting configurations thereof.

3. The system set forth in claim 1, wherein said container includes first and second pairs of bolsters respectively disposed adjacent to the opposite ends thereof,

and said road vehicle includes first and second pairs of body bolsters arranged for respectively receiving and supporting thereon said pairs of container bolsters.

4. A system for storing and transporting containers for ladings, said system comprising a self-supporting container for ladings and a road vehicle for transporting said container to and from an associated stationary support surface; said container including a first bolster disposed adjacent to one end of said container and a second bolster disposed adjacent to the other end of said container, a first .pair of support leg assemblies disposed adjacent to one end of said container and a second pair of support leg assemblies disposed adjacent to the other end of said container, each of said leg assemblies including a leg housing and a support leg mounted for movement with respect to each other and with respect to said container to accommodate shifting of said leg assembly among a storage configuration and an intermediate configuration and a supporting configuration, each of said leg assemblies in the storage configuration thereof having all parts thereof disposed closely adjacent to said container for facilitating unencumbered transporting thereof, each of said leg assemblies in the intermediate configuration thereof having saidleg housing extending laterally outwardly of said container and said leg extending substantially vertically downwardly from said housing and spaced from the associated support surface, each of said leg assemblies in the supporting configuration thereof having said leg housing extending laterally outwardly from said container and said leg extending substantially vertically downwardly from said leg housing and resting upon the associated support surface to firmly support said leg housing and said container thereon, and first. lock structure on each of said leg housings and said container and second lock structure on each of said support legs, shifting of said leg assemblies from the intermediate configurations to the supporting configurations thereof effecting movement of said first and second lock structures to a locking condition adapted for engagement with each other to lock said leg assemblies in the supporting configurations thereof; said road vehicle including a frame provided with road wheels and a first body bolster disposed adjacent to one end of said frame and a second body bolster disposed adjacent to the other end of said frame, said container bolsters and said body bolsters being arranged so that said container bolsters can be positioned respectively upon said body bolsters, the legs in each pair of support legs being spaced apart a distance to receive said road vehicle therebetween when said leg assemblies are in the supporting configurations thereof, and lifting means on said frame for causing. relative vertical movement between said container and said frame; whereby in transferring said container from said road vehicle to an associated support surface said lifting means is operated to raise said container bolsters above said body bolsters to provide clearance for the shifting of saidleg assemblies from the storage configurationsthereof to the intermediate configurations thereof and then said lifting means is operated to lower said container and said leg assemblies onto the support surface for thereby shifting said leg assemblies from the intermediate configurations to the supporting configurations thereof to support said container solely on said leg of said legassemblie's from the intermediate configurations thereof to the storage configurations thereof and then said lifting means is operated to lower said container bolsters onto said body bolsters.

5. The system set forth in claim 4, wherein each of said leg housings is mounted for horizontal pivotal movement with respect to said container, and each of said legs is mounted for vertical pivotal movement with respect to the associated one of said leg housings, each of said leg assemblies in the intermediate configuration thereof being arranged to accommodate vertical translational movement of said leg vand said leg housing with respect to each other for shifting said leg assembly between the intermediate configuration and the supporting configuration thereof. I

6. The system set forth in claim 4, wherein each of said leg assemblies in the intermediate configuration thereof is constructed and arranged to accommodate vertical translational movement of said leg housing with respect to said leg when said leg is in contact with the underlying support surface for thereby shifting said leg assembly between the intermediate configuration and the supporting configuration thereof.

' 7. A system for storing and transporting containers for ladings, said system comprising a self-supporting container for ladings and a road vehicle for transporting said container to and from an associated stationary support surface; said container including a first bolster disposed adjacent to one end of said container and a second bolster disposed adjacent to the other end of 'said container, a first pair of support leg assemblies disposed adjacent to one end of said container and a second pair of support leg assemblies disposed adjacent to the other end of the container, each of said leg assemblies including a leghousing mounted on said container for pivotal movement about a first axis and a support leg mounted on said leg housing for pivotal movement with respect thereto about a second axis all to accommodate shifting of said leg assembly among a storage configuration and an intermediate configuration and a supporting configuration, each of said leg assemblies in the storage configuration thereof having all parts thereof disposed closely adjacent to said container for facilitating unencumbered transporting thereof, each of said leg assemblies in the intermediate configuration thereof having said leg housing extending laterally outwardly from said container and said leg extending substantially vertically downwardly from said housing and spaced from the associated support surface, each of said leg assemblies in the intermediate configuration thereof being arranged to accommodate translational movement of said leg housing and said support leg with respect to each other for shifting said associated support surface to firmly support said leg housing and said container thereon, and first lock structure on each of said leg housings and said container and second lock structure on each of said support legs, shifting of said leg assemblies from the intermediate configurations to the supporting configurations thereof effecting movement of said'first and second lock structures to a locking condition adapted for engagement with each other to lock said leg assem v blies in the supporting configurations thereof; said road vehicle including a frame provided with road wheels and a first body bolster disposed adjacent to one end of said frame and a second body bolster disposed adjacent leg assembly between said intermediate configuration and a supporting configuration, each of said leg assemblies in the supporting configuration thereof having said leg housing extending laterally outwardly from said container and said leg extending substantially vertically downwardly from said leg housing and resting upon the to the other end of said frame, said container bolsters and said body bolsters being arranged so that said container bolsters can be positioned respectively upon said body bolsters, the legs in each pair of support legs being spaced apart a distance to receive said road vehicle therebetween when said leg assemblies are in the supporting configurations thereof, and lifting means on said frame for causing relative vertical movement between said container and said frame; whereby in transferring said container from said road vehicle to an associated support surface said lifting means is operated to raise said container bolsters above said body bolsters to provide clearance for the shifting of said leg assemblies from the storage configurations thereof to the intermediate configurations thereof and then said lifting means is operated to lower said container and said leg assemblies onto the support surface for thereby shifting said leg assemblies from the inter mediate configurations to the supporting configurations thereof to support said container solely on said leg assemblies, and whereby in transferring said container from the associated support surface to said road vehicle said lifting means is operated to raise said container for thereby shifting'said leg assemblies from the supporting configurations thereof to the intermediate configurations thereof and to provide clearance for the shifting of said leg assemblies from the intermediate configurations thereof to the storage configurations thereof and then said lifting means is operated to lower said container bolsters onto said body bolsters.

8. The system set forth inclaim 7, wherein said first axis is disposed substantially vertically and said second axis is disposed substantially horizontally, the translational movement of said leg housing and said support leg with respect to each other being substantially vertical.

. 9. The system set forth in claim 7, wherein each of said leg housings includes a pivot pin disposed along saidsecond axis, and each of said support'legs hasan elongated slot therein receiving said pivot pin therethrough for pivotal movement of said leg about said axis, said slot being disposed substantially vertically when said leg assembly is in the intermediate configuration thereof to accommodate vertical translational movement of said leg housing and said pivot pin with respect to said leg for shifting said leg assembly between the intermediate configuration and supporting configuration thereof.

10. The system set forth'in claim 7, wherein each of said leg assemblies is constructed and arranged for shifting between the storage configuration and the supporting configuration thereof only by sequentially pivoting thereof about said two axes in a predetermined order.

11. A system for storing and transporting containers for ladings, said system comprising a self-supporting container for ladings and a road vehicle for transporting said container to and from an associated stationary support surface; said container including a first bolster disposed adjacent to one end of said container and a second bolster disposed adjacent to the other end of said container, a first pair of support leg assemblies disposed adjacent to one end of said container and a second pair of support leg assemblies disposed adjacent to the other end of said container, each of said leg assemblies including a leg housing mounted on said container for pivotal movement about a first axis and a support leg mounted on said leg housing for pivotal movement with respect thereto about a second axis all to accommodate shifting of said leg assembly among a storage configuration and an intermediate configuration and a supporting configuration, each of said'leg assemblies in' the storage configuration thereof having all parts thereof disposed closely adjacent to said container for facilitating unencumbered transporting thereof, each of said leg assemblies in the intermediate configuration thereof having said leg housing extending laterally outwardly from said container and said leg extending substantially vertically downwardly from said housing and spaced from the associated support surface, each of said leg assemblies in the intermediate configuration thereof being arranged to accommodate translational movement of said leg housing and said support leg with respect to each other for shifting said leg assembly between said intermediate configuration and a supporting configuration, each of said leg assemblies in the supporting configuration thereof having said leg housing extending laterally outwardly from said container and said leg extending substantially vertically downwardly from said leg housing and-resting upon the associated support surface to firmly support said leg housing and said container thereon, and a container abutment surface on said container adjacent to each of said leg housings and first and second housing abutment surfaces on each of said leg housings and first and second and third leg abutment surfaces on each of said legs, shifting of said leg assemblies from the intermediate configurations to the supporting configurations thereof effecting movement of said abutment surfaces to a locking condition cooperating with one another to lock said leg assemblies in the supporting configurations thereof, said first leg abutment surfaces cooperating with said container abutment surfaces in said locking condition for restraining said leg housings against pivotal movement about said first axes, said second leg abutment surfaces cooperating with said first leg housing abutment surfaces and with the weight of said container in said locking condition for restraining said leg housings and said leg against translational movement with respect to each other, said third leg abutment surfaces cooperating with said second leg housing abutment surfaces in said locking condition for restraining said legs against pivotal movement about said second axes; said road vehicle including a frame provided with road wheels and a first body bolster disposed adjacent to one end of said frame and a second body bolster disposed adjacent to the other end 18 of said frame, said container bolsters and said body bolsters being arranged so that said container bolsters can be positioned respectively upon said body bolsters, the legs in each pair of support legs being spaced apart a distance to receive said road vehicle therebetween when said leg assemblies are in the supporting configurations thereof, and lifting means on said frame for causing relative vertical movement between said container and said frame; whereby in transferring said container from said road vehicle to an associated support surface said lifting means is operated to raise said container bolsters above said body bolsters to provide clearance for the shifting of said leg assemblies from the storage configurations thereof to the intermediate configurations thereof and then said lifting means is operated to lower saidcontainer and said leg assemblies onto the support surface for thereby shifting said leg assemblies from the intermediate configurations to the supporting configurations thereof to support said container solely on said leg assemblies, and whereby in transferring said container from the associated support surface to said road vehicle said lifting means is operated to raise said container for thereby shifting said leg assemblies from the supporting configurations thereof to the intermediate configurations thereof and to provide clearance for the shifting of said leg assemblies from the intermediate configurations thereof to the storage configurations thereof and then said lifting means is operated to lower said container bolsters onto said body bolsters.

12. A self-supporting container for use in a system for storing and for transporting ladings, wherein the system includes a road vehicle for transporting the container to and from an associated stationary support surface and including a first body bolster for receiving one end of the container anda second body bolster for receiving the other end of the container and lifting means for causing relative vertical movement between the container and the body bolsters; said container comprising a body wall defining a chamber for containing lading and having means for introducing lading thereinto and means for removing lading therefrom, a first container bolster mounted on said body wall adjacent to oneend thereof and arranged to be seated upon and supported by the associated first body bolster on the road vehicle and a second container bolster mounted on said body wall adjacent to the other end thereof and arranged to be seated upon and supported by the associated second body bolster on the road vehicle, a first pair of support leg assemblies disposed adjacent to one end of said container and a second pair of support leg assemblies disposed adjacent to the other end of said container, each of said leg assemblies being mounted for pivotal movements about two different axes to accommodate shifting of said leg assembly between a storage configuration and a supporting configuration, each of said leg assemblies in the storage configuration thereof having all parts thereof disposed closely adjacent to said container for facilitating unencumbered transporting thereof, each of said leg assemblies in the supporting configuration thereof extending substantially vertically downwardly from said container for resting upon the underlying support surface firmly to support said container thereon, the leg assemblies in each pair of support leg assemblies being spaced apart a distance to receive the associated road vehicle therebetween when said leg assemblies are in the supporting configurations thereof, and lock mechanism for restraining said leg assemblies against all pivotal movements when said leg assemblies are in the supporting configurations thereof, whereby the lifting means on the associated road vehicle may be operated to transfersaid container from the road vehicle to the stationary support surface .by raising said container above the body bolsters for providing clearance to shift said leg assemblies from the storage configurations thereof to the supporting configurations thereof and then lowering said container and said leg assemblies onto the support surface for support thereon solely by said leg assemblies, and whereby the lifting means of the road vehicle may be operated to transfer said container from the stationary support surface to the road vehicle by raising said container above the support surface to provide clearance for shifting said leg assemblies from the supporting configurations thereof to the storage configurations thereof and then lowering said container bolsters onto the body bolsters.

13. The container set forth in claim 12, wherein said body wall defines a hopper for containing therein and discharging therefrom dry bulk lading.

14. The container set forth in claim 12, wherein each pair of said leg assemblies is disposed substantially in lateral alignment with one of said container bolsters.

15. The. container set forth in claim 12, wherein each of said container bolsters is provided with a jacking point thereon, the lifting means of the associated road vehicle engaging said container bolsters at said jacking points for effecting vertical movement of said container. i

16. The container set forth in claim 12, wherein said lock mechanism is responsive to the lowering of said container onto the support surface for locking said leg assemblies in the supporting configurations thereof.

17. A self-supporting container for use in a system for storing and for transporting ladings, wherein the system includes a road vehicle for transporting the container to and from an associated stationary support surface and including a first body bolster for receiving one end of the container and a second body bolster for receiving the other end of the container and lifting means for causing relative vertical movement between the container and the body bolsters; said container comprising a body wall defining a chamber for containing lading and having means for introducing lading thereinto and means for removing lading therefrom, a first container bolster mounted on said body wall adjacent to one end thereof and arranged to be seated upon and supported by the associated first body bolster on the road vehicle and a second container bolster mounted on said body wall adjacent to the other end thereof and arranged to be seated upon and supported by the associated second body bolster on the road vehicle, a first pair of support leg assemblies disposed adjacent to one end of said container and a second pair of support leg assemblies disposed adjacent to the other end of said container, each of said leg assemblies including a leg housing and a support leg mounted for movement with respect to each other and with respect to said container to accommodate shifting of said leg assembly among a storage configuration and an inter- I mediate configuration and a supporting configuration,

tainer and said leg extending substantially vertically downwardly from said leg housing and resting upon the associated support surface firmly to support-said leg housing and said container thereon, and the leg assemblies in each pair of support leg assemblies being spaced apart a distance to receive the associated road vehicle therebetween when said leg assemblies are in the supporting configurations thereof, and first lock structure on each of said leg housings and said container and second lock structure on each of said support legs, shifting of said leg assemblies from the intermediate configurations to the supporting configurations thereof effecting movement of said first and second lock structures to a locking condition adapted for engagement with each other to lock said leg assemblies in the supporting configurations thereof; whereby the lifting means on the associated road vehicle may be operated to transfer said container from the road vehicle'to the stationary support surface by raising said container above the body bolsters for providing clearance to shift said leg assemblies from the storage configurations to the intermediate configurations thereof and then lowering said container and said leg assemblies onto the support surface for thereby shifting said leg assemblies from the intermediate configurations to the supporting configurations thereof to support said container solely on said leg assemblies, and whereby the lifting means on the road vehicle may be operated to transfer said container from the stationary support surface to the road vehicle by raising said container above the support surface for thereby shifting said leg assemblies from the supporting configurations thereof to the intermediate configurations thereof and providing clearance for the shifting of said leg assemblies from the intermediate configurations thereof to the storage configurations thereof and then lowering said container bolsters onto the body bolsters.

18. The container set forth in claim 17, wherein said container includes first and second pairs of container bolsters respectively mounted .on said body wall adjacent to the opposite ends thereof, said leg housings being respectively secured to said container bolsters. 1

19. The container set forth in claim 17, wherein each of said leg housings is mounted for horizontal pivotal movement with respect'to said container, and each of said legs is mounted for vertical pivotal movement with respect to the associated one of said leg housings, each of said leg assemblies in the intermediate configuration thereof being arranged to accommodate vertical translational movement of said leg and said leg housing with respect to' each other for shifting said leg assembly between the intermediate configuration and the supporting configuration thereof.

20. The container set forth in claim 17, wherein each of said leg assemblies in the intermediate configuration thereof is constructed and arranged to accommodate vertical translational movement of said leg housing with respect to said leg when said leg is in contact with the underlying support surface for thereby shifting said leg assembly between the intermediate configuration and the supporting configuration thereof.

21. A self-supporting container for use in a system for storing and for transporting ladings, wherein the system includes a road vehicle for transporting the container to and from an associated stationary support surface and including a first body bolster for receiving one end of the container and a second body bolster for receiving the other end of the container and lifting means for causing relative vertical movement between the container and the body bolsters; said container comprising a body wall defining a chamber for containing lading and having means for introducing lading thereinto and means for removing lading therefrom, a first container bolster mounted on said body wall adjacent to one end thereof and arranged to be seated upon and supported by the associated first body bolster on the road vehicle and a second container bolster mounted on said body wall adjacent to the other end thereof and arranged to be seated upon and supported by the associated second body bolster on the roadvehicle, a first pair of support leg assemblies disposed adjacent to one end of saidcontainer and a second pair of support leg assemblies disposed adjacent to the other end of said container, each of said leg assemblies including a leg housing mounted on said container for pivotal movement about a first axis and a support leg mounted on said leg housing for pivotal movement with respect thereto about a second axis all to accommodate shifting of said leg assembly among a storage configuration and an intermediate configuration and a supporting configuration, each of said leg assemblies in the storage configuration thereof having all parts thereof disposed closely adjacent to said container for facilitating unencumbered transporting thereof, each of said leg assemblies in the intermediate configuration thereof having said leg housing extending laterally outwardly from said container and said leg extending sub stantially vertically downwardly from said housing and spaced from the associated support surface, each of said leg assemblies in the intermediate configuration thereof being arranged to accommodate translational movement of said leg housing and said support leg with respect to each other for shifting said leg assembly between said intermediate configuration and a supporting configuration, each 'of said leg assemblies in the supporting configuration thereof having said leg housing extending laterally outwardly from said container and said leg extending substantially vertically downwardly from said leg housing and resting upon the associated support surface to firmly support said leg housing and said container thereon, the leg assemblies in each pair of support leg assemblies being spaced apart a distance to receive the associated road vehicle therebetween when said leg assemblies are in the supporting configurations thereof, and first lock structure on each of said leg housings and said container and second lock structure on each of said support legs, shifting of said leg assemblies from the intermediate configurations to the supporting configurations thereof effecting movement of said first and second lock struc tures to a locking condition adapted for engagement with each other to lock said leg assemblies in the supporting configurations thereof; whereby the lifting means on the associated road vehicle may be operated to transfer said container from the road vehicle to the stationary support surface by raising said container above the body bolsters for providing clearance to shift said leg assemblies from the storage configurations to the intermediate configurations thereof and then lowering said container and said leg assemblies onto the support surface for thereby shifting said leg assemblies from the intermediate configuration to the supporting configurations thereof to support said container solely on said leg assemblies, and whereby the lifting means on the road vehicle may be operated to transfer said container from the stationary support surface to the road vehicle by raising said container above the support surface for thereby shifting said leg assemblies from the supporting configurations thereof to the intermediate configurations thereof and providing clearance for the shifting of said leg assemblies from the intermediate configurations thereof to the storage configurations thereof and then lowering said container bolsters onto the body bolsters.

22. The container set forth in claim 21, wherein each of said leg housings includes a guide plate disposed for engagement with the associated support leg for guiding thereof during the shifting of said leg assembly from the storage configuration to the supporting configuration thereof.

23. The container set forth in claim 21, wherein each of said leg housings includes a pivot pin disposed along said second axis, and each of said support legs has an elongated slot therein receiving said pivot pin therethrough for pivotal movement of said leg about said axis, said slot being disposed substantially vertically when said leg assembly is in the intermediate configuration thereof to accommodate vertical translational movement of said leg housing and said pivot pin with respect to said leg for shifting said leg assembly between the intermediate configuration and supporting configuration thereof.

24. A self-supporting container for use in a system for storing and for transporting ladings, wherein the system includes a road vehicle for transporting the container to and from an associated stationary support surface and including a first body bolster for receiving one end of the container and a second body bolster forreceiving the other end of the container and lifting means for causing relative vertical movement between the container and the body bolsters; said container comprising a body wall defining a chamber for containing lading and having means for introducing lading thereinto and means for removing lading therefrom, a first container bolster mounted on said body wall adjacent to one end thereof and arranged to be seated upon and supported by the associated first body bolster on the road vehicle and a second container bolster mounted on said body wall adjacent to the other end thereof and arranged to be seated upon and supported by the associated second body bolster on the road vehicle, a first pair of support leg assemblies disposed adjacent to one end of said container and a second pair of support leg assemblies disposed adjacent to the other end of said container, each of said leg assemblies including a leg housing mounted on said container for pivotal movement about a first axis and a support leg mounted on said leg housing for pivotal movement with respect thereto about a second axis all to accommodate shifting of said leg assembly among a storage configuration and an intermediate configuration and a supporting configuration, each of said leg assemblies in the storage configuration thereof having all parts thereof disposed closely adjacent to said container for facilitating unencumbered transporting thereof, each of said leg assemblies in the intermediate configuration thereof having said leg housing extending laterally outwardly from said container and said leg extending substantially vertically downwardly from said housing and spaced from the associated support surface, each of said leg assembliesin the intermediate configuration thereof being arranged to accommodate translational movement of said leg housing and said support leg with respect to each other for shifting said leg assembly between said intermediate configuration and a supporting configuration, each of said leg assemblies in the supporting configuration thereof having said leg housing extending laterally outwardly from said container and said leg extending substantially vertically downwardly from said leg housing and resting upon the associated support surface to firmly support said leg housing and said container thereon, the leg assemblies in each pair of support leg assemblies being spaced apart a distance to receive the associated'road vehicle therebetween when said leg assemblies are in the supporting configurations thereof, and a container abut- 24 mediate configurations to the supporting configurations thereof effectingmovement of said abutment surfaces to a locking condition cooperating with one another to lock said leg assemblies in the supporting configurations thereof, said first leg abutment surfaces cooperating with said container abutment surfaces in said locking condition for restraining said leg housings against pivotal movement about said first axes, said second leg abutment surfaces cooperating with said first leg housing abutment surfaces and with the weight of said container in said locking condition for restraining said leg housings and said legs against translational movement with respect to each other, said third leg abutment surfaces cooperating with said second leg housing abutment surfaces in said locking condition for restraining said legs against pivotal movement about said second axes; whereby the lifting means on the associated road vehicle may be operated to transfer said container from the road vehicle to the stationary support surface by raising said container above the body bolsters for providing clearance to shift said leg assemblies from the storage configurations to the intermediate configurations thereof and then lowering said container and said leg assemblies onto the support surface for thereby shifting said leg assemblies from the intermediate configurations to the supporting configurations thereof to su port said container solely on said le assemblies, and w ereby the lifting means on the roa vehicle may be operated to transfer said container from the stationary support surface to the road vehicle' by 

1. A system for storing and transporting containers for ladings, said system comprising a self-supporting container for ladings and a road vehicle for transporting said container to and from an associated stationary support surface; said container including a first bolster disposed adjacent to one end of said container and a second bolster disposed adjacent to the other end of said container, a first pair of support leg assemblies disposed adjacent to one end of said container and a second pair of support leg assemblies disposed adjacent to the other end of said container, each of said leg assemblies being mounted for pivotal movements about two different axes to accommodate shifting of said leg assembly between a storage configuration and a supporting configuration, each of said leg assemblies in the storage configuration thereof having all parts thereof disposed closely adjacent to said container foR facilitating unencumbered transporting thereof, each of said leg assemblies in the supporting configuration thereof extending substantially vertically downwardly from said container for contacting the underlying support surface firmly to support said container thereon, and lock mechanism for restraining said leg assemblies against all pivotal movements when said leg assemblies are in the supporting configurations thereof; said road vehicle including a frame provided with road wheels and a first body bolster disposed adjacent to one end of said frame and a second body bolster disposed adjacent to the other end of said frame, said container bolsters and said body bolsters being arranged so that said container bolsters can be positioned respectively upon said body bolsters, the leg assemblies in each pair of support leg assemblies being spaced apart a distance to receive said road vehicle therebetween when said leg assemblies are in the supporting configurations thereof, and lifting means on said frame for causing relative vertical movement between said container and said frame; whereby in transferring said container from said road vehicle to an associated support surface said lifting means is operated to raise said container bolsters above said body bolsters to provide clearance for the shifting of said leg assemblies from the storage configurations thereof to the supporting configurations thereof and then said lifting means is operated to lower said container and said leg assemblies onto the support surface for support thereon solely by said leg assemblies, and whereby in transferring said container from the associated support surface to said road vehicle said lifting means is operated to raise said container to provide clearance for the shifting of said leg assemblies from the supporting configurations thereof to the storage configurations thereof and then said lifting means is operated to lower said container bolsters onto said body bolsters.
 2. The system set forth in claim 1, wherein said lock mechanism is responsive to the lowering of said container onto the support surface for locking said leg assemblies in the supporting configurations thereof.
 3. The system set forth in claim 1, wherein said container includes first and second pairs of bolsters respectively disposed adjacent to the opposite ends thereof, and said road vehicle includes first and second pairs of body bolsters arranged for respectively receiving and supporting thereon said pairs of container bolsters.
 4. A system for storing and transporting containers for ladings, said system comprising a self-supporting container for ladings and a road vehicle for transporting said container to and from an associated stationary support surface; said container including a first bolster disposed adjacent to one end of said container and a second bolster disposed adjacent to the other end of said container, a first pair of support leg assemblies disposed adjacent to one end of said container and a second pair of support leg assemblies disposed adjacent to the other end of said container, each of said leg assemblies including a leg housing and a support leg mounted for movement with respect to each other and with respect to said container to accommodate shifting of said leg assembly among a storage configuration and an intermediate configuration and a supporting configuration, each of said leg assemblies in the storage configuration thereof having all parts thereof disposed closely adjacent to said container for facilitating unencumbered transporting thereof, each of said leg assemblies in the intermediate configuration thereof having said leg housing extending laterally outwardly of said container and said leg extending substantially vertically downwardly from said housing and spaced from the associated support surface, each of said leg assemblies in the supporting configuration thereof having said leg housing extending laterally outwardly from said container and said leg extending substantially vertically downWardly from said leg housing and resting upon the associated support surface to firmly support said leg housing and said container thereon, and first lock structure on each of said leg housings and said container and second lock structure on each of said support legs, shifting of said leg assemblies from the intermediate configurations to the supporting configurations thereof effecting movement of said first and second lock structures to a locking condition adapted for engagement with each other to lock said leg assemblies in the supporting configurations thereof; said road vehicle including a frame provided with road wheels and a first body bolster disposed adjacent to one end of said frame and a second body bolster disposed adjacent to the other end of said frame, said container bolsters and said body bolsters being arranged so that said container bolsters can be positioned respectively upon said body bolsters, the legs in each pair of support legs being spaced apart a distance to receive said road vehicle therebetween when said leg assemblies are in the supporting configurations thereof, and lifting means on said frame for causing relative vertical movement between said container and said frame; whereby in transferring said container from said road vehicle to an associated support surface said lifting means is operated to raise said container bolsters above said body bolsters to provide clearance for the shifting of said leg assemblies from the storage configurations thereof to the intermediate configurations thereof and then said lifting means is operated to lower said container and said leg assemblies onto the support surface for thereby shifting said leg assemblies from the intermediate configurations to the supporting configurations thereof to support said container solely on said leg assemblies, and whereby in transferring said container from the associated support surface to said road vehicle said lifting means is operated to raise said container for thereby shifting said leg assemblies from the supporting configurations thereof to the intermediate configurations thereof and to provide clearance for the shifting of said leg assemblies from the intermediate configurations thereof to the storage configurations thereof and then said lifting means is operated to lower said container bolsters onto said body bolsters.
 5. The system set forth in claim 4, wherein each of said leg housings is mounted for horizontal pivotal movement with respect to said container, and each of said legs is mounted for vertical pivotal movement with respect to the associated one of said leg housings, each of said leg assemblies in the intermediate configuration thereof being arranged to accommodate vertical translational movement of said leg and said leg housing with respect to each other for shifting said leg assembly between the intermediate configuration and the supporting configuration thereof.
 6. The system set forth in claim 4, wherein each of said leg assemblies in the intermediate configuration thereof is constructed and arranged to accommodate vertical translational movement of said leg housing with respect to said leg when said leg is in contact with the underlying support surface for thereby shifting said leg assembly between the intermediate configuration and the supporting configuration thereof.
 7. A system for storing and transporting containers for ladings, said system comprising a self-supporting container for ladings and a road vehicle for transporting said container to and from an associated stationary support surface; said container including a first bolster disposed adjacent to one end of said container and a second bolster disposed adjacent to the other end of said container, a first pair of support leg assemblies disposed adjacent to one end of said container and a second pair of support leg assemblies disposed adjacent to the other end of the container, each of said leg assemblies including a leg housing mounted on said container for pivotal movement about a first axis And a support leg mounted on said leg housing for pivotal movement with respect thereto about a second axis all to accommodate shifting of said leg assembly among a storage configuration and an intermediate configuration and a supporting configuration, each of said leg assemblies in the storage configuration thereof having all parts thereof disposed closely adjacent to said container for facilitating unencumbered transporting thereof, each of said leg assemblies in the intermediate configuration thereof having said leg housing extending laterally outwardly from said container and said leg extending substantially vertically downwardly from said housing and spaced from the associated support surface, each of said leg assemblies in the intermediate configuration thereof being arranged to accommodate translational movement of said leg housing and said support leg with respect to each other for shifting said leg assembly between said intermediate configuration and a supporting configuration, each of said leg assemblies in the supporting configuration thereof having said leg housing extending laterally outwardly from said container and said leg extending substantially vertically downwardly from said leg housing and resting upon the associated support surface to firmly support said leg housing and said container thereon, and first lock structure on each of said leg housings and said container and second lock structure on each of said support legs, shifting of said leg assemblies from the intermediate configurations to the supporting configurations thereof effecting movement of said first and second lock structures to a locking condition adapted for engagement with each other to lock said leg assemblies in the supporting configurations thereof; said road vehicle including a frame provided with road wheels and a first body bolster disposed adjacent to one end of said frame and a second body bolster disposed adjacent to the other end of said frame, said container bolsters and said body bolsters being arranged so that said container bolsters can be positioned respectively upon said body bolsters, the legs in each pair of support legs being spaced apart a distance to receive said road vehicle therebetween when said leg assemblies are in the supporting configurations thereof, and lifting means on said frame for causing relative vertical movement between said container and said frame; whereby in transferring said container from said road vehicle to an associated support surface said lifting means is operated to raise said container bolsters above said body bolsters to provide clearance for the shifting of said leg assemblies from the storage configurations thereof to the intermediate configurations thereof and then said lifting means is operated to lower said container and said leg assemblies onto the support surface for thereby shifting said leg assemblies from the intermediate configurations to the supporting configurations thereof to support said container solely on said leg assemblies, and whereby in transferring said container from the associated support surface to said road vehicle said lifting means is operated to raise said container for thereby shifting said leg assemblies from the supporting configurations thereof to the intermediate configurations thereof and to provide clearance for the shifting of said leg assemblies from the intermediate configurations thereof to the storage configurations thereof and then said lifting means is operated to lower said container bolsters onto said body bolsters.
 8. The system set forth in claim 7, wherein said first axis is disposed substantially vertically and said second axis is disposed substantially horizontally, the translational movement of said leg housing and said support leg with respect to each other being substantially vertical.
 9. The system set forth in claim 7, wherein each of said leg housings includes a pivot pin disposed along said second axis, and each of said support legs has an elongated slot therein receiving said pivot pin therethrough for pivotal movement of said leg about said axis, said slot being disposed substantially vertically when said leg assembly is in the intermediate configuration thereof to accommodate vertical translational movement of said leg housing and said pivot pin with respect to said leg for shifting said leg assembly between the intermediate configuration and supporting configuration thereof.
 10. The system set forth in claim 7, wherein each of said leg assemblies is constructed and arranged for shifting between the storage configuration and the supporting configuration thereof only by sequentially pivoting thereof about said two axes in a predetermined order.
 11. A system for storing and transporting containers for ladings, said system comprising a self-supporting container for ladings and a road vehicle for transporting said container to and from an associated stationary support surface; said container including a first bolster disposed adjacent to one end of said container and a second bolster disposed adjacent to the other end of said container, a first pair of support leg assemblies disposed adjacent to one end of said container and a second pair of support leg assemblies disposed adjacent to the other end of said container, each of said leg assemblies including a leg housing mounted on said container for pivotal movement about a first axis and a support leg mounted on said leg housing for pivotal movement with respect thereto about a second axis all to accommodate shifting of said leg assembly among a storage configuration and an intermediate configuration and a supporting configuration, each of said leg assemblies in the storage configuration thereof having all parts thereof disposed closely adjacent to said container for facilitating unencumbered transporting thereof, each of said leg assemblies in the intermediate configuration thereof having said leg housing extending laterally outwardly from said container and said leg extending substantially vertically downwardly from said housing and spaced from the associated support surface, each of said leg assemblies in the intermediate configuration thereof being arranged to accommodate translational movement of said leg housing and said support leg with respect to each other for shifting said leg assembly between said intermediate configuration and a supporting configuration, each of said leg assemblies in the supporting configuration thereof having said leg housing extending laterally outwardly from said container and said leg extending substantially vertically downwardly from said leg housing and resting upon the associated support surface to firmly support said leg housing and said container thereon, and a container abutment surface on said container adjacent to each of said leg housings and first and second housing abutment surfaces on each of said leg housings and first and second and third leg abutment surfaces on each of said legs, shifting of said leg assemblies from the intermediate configurations to the supporting configurations thereof effecting movement of said abutment surfaces to a locking condition cooperating with one another to lock said leg assemblies in the supporting configurations thereof, said first leg abutment surfaces cooperating with said container abutment surfaces in said locking condition for restraining said leg housings against pivotal movement about said first axes, said second leg abutment surfaces cooperating with said first leg housing abutment surfaces and with the weight of said container in said locking condition for restraining said leg housings and said leg against translational movement with respect to each other, said third leg abutment surfaces cooperating with said second leg housing abutment surfaces in said locking condition for restraining said legs against pivotal movement about said second axes; said road vehicle including a frame provided with road wheels and a first body bolster disposed adjacent to one end of said frame and a second body bolster disposed adjaceNt to the other end of said frame, said container bolsters and said body bolsters being arranged so that said container bolsters can be positioned respectively upon said body bolsters, the legs in each pair of support legs being spaced apart a distance to receive said road vehicle therebetween when said leg assemblies are in the supporting configurations thereof, and lifting means on said frame for causing relative vertical movement between said container and said frame; whereby in transferring said container from said road vehicle to an associated support surface said lifting means is operated to raise said container bolsters above said body bolsters to provide clearance for the shifting of said leg assemblies from the storage configurations thereof to the intermediate configurations thereof and then said lifting means is operated to lower said container and said leg assemblies onto the support surface for thereby shifting said leg assemblies from the intermediate configurations to the supporting configurations thereof to support said container solely on said leg assemblies, and whereby in transferring said container from the associated support surface to said road vehicle said lifting means is operated to raise said container for thereby shifting said leg assemblies from the supporting configurations thereof to the intermediate configurations thereof and to provide clearance for the shifting of said leg assemblies from the intermediate configurations thereof to the storage configurations thereof and then said lifting means is operated to lower said container bolsters onto said body bolsters.
 12. A self-supporting container for use in a system for storing and for transporting ladings, wherein the system includes a road vehicle for transporting the container to and from an associated stationary support surface and including a first body bolster for receiving one end of the container and a second body bolster for receiving the other end of the container and lifting means for causing relative vertical movement between the container and the body bolsters; said container comprising a body wall defining a chamber for containing lading and having means for introducing lading thereinto and means for removing lading therefrom, a first container bolster mounted on said body wall adjacent to one end thereof and arranged to be seated upon and supported by the associated first body bolster on the road vehicle and a second container bolster mounted on said body wall adjacent to the other end thereof and arranged to be seated upon and supported by the associated second body bolster on the road vehicle, a first pair of support leg assemblies disposed adjacent to one end of said container and a second pair of support leg assemblies disposed adjacent to the other end of said container, each of said leg assemblies being mounted for pivotal movements about two different axes to accommodate shifting of said leg assembly between a storage configuration and a supporting configuration, each of said leg assemblies in the storage configuration thereof having all parts thereof disposed closely adjacent to said container for facilitating unencumbered transporting thereof, each of said leg assemblies in the supporting configuration thereof extending substantially vertically downwardly from said container for resting upon the underlying support surface firmly to support said container thereon, the leg assemblies in each pair of support leg assemblies being spaced apart a distance to receive the associated road vehicle therebetween when said leg assemblies are in the supporting configurations thereof, and lock mechanism for restraining said leg assemblies against all pivotal movements when said leg assemblies are in the supporting configurations thereof, whereby the lifting means on the associated road vehicle may be operated to transfer said container from the road vehicle to the stationary support surface by raising said container above the body bolsters for providing clearance to shift said leg assemblies from the storage configurations thereof to the supporting configurations thereof and then lowering said container and said leg assemblies onto the support surface for support thereon solely by said leg assemblies, and whereby the lifting means of the road vehicle may be operated to transfer said container from the stationary support surface to the road vehicle by raising said container above the support surface to provide clearance for shifting said leg assemblies from the supporting configurations thereof to the storage configurations thereof and then lowering said container bolsters onto the body bolsters.
 13. The container set forth in claim 12, wherein said body wall defines a hopper for containing therein and discharging therefrom dry bulk lading.
 14. The container set forth in claim 12, wherein each pair of said leg assemblies is disposed substantially in lateral alignment with one of said container bolsters.
 15. The container set forth in claim 12, wherein each of said container bolsters is provided with a jacking point thereon, the lifting means of the associated road vehicle engaging said container bolsters at said jacking points for effecting vertical movement of said container.
 16. The container set forth in claim 12, wherein said lock mechanism is responsive to the lowering of said container onto the support surface for locking said leg assemblies in the supporting configurations thereof.
 17. A self-supporting container for use in a system for storing and for transporting ladings, wherein the system includes a road vehicle for transporting the container to and from an associated stationary support surface and including a first body bolster for receiving one end of the container and a second body bolster for receiving the other end of the container and lifting means for causing relative vertical movement between the container and the body bolsters; said container comprising a body wall defining a chamber for containing lading and having means for introducing lading thereinto and means for removing lading therefrom, a first container bolster mounted on said body wall adjacent to one end thereof and arranged to be seated upon and supported by the associated first body bolster on the road vehicle and a second container bolster mounted on said body wall adjacent to the other end thereof and arranged to be seated upon and supported by the associated second body bolster on the road vehicle, a first pair of support leg assemblies disposed adjacent to one end of said container and a second pair of support leg assemblies disposed adjacent to the other end of said container, each of said leg assemblies including a leg housing and a support leg mounted for movement with respect to each other and with respect to said container to accommodate shifting of said leg assembly among a storage configuration and an intermediate configuration and a supporting configuration, each of said leg assemblies in the storage configuration thereof having all parts thereof disposed closely adjacent to said container for facilitating unencumbered transporting thereof, each of said leg assemblies in the intermediate configuration thereof having said leg housing extending laterally outwardly from said container and said leg extending substantially vertically downwardly from said housing and spaced from the associated support surface, each of said leg assemblies in the supporting configuration thereof having said leg housing extending laterally outwardly from said container and said leg extending substantially vertically downwardly from said leg housing and resting upon the associated support surface firmly to support said leg housing and said container thereon, and the leg assemblies in each pair of support leg assemblies being spaced apart a distance to receive the associated road vehicle therebetween when said leg assemblies are in the supporting configurations thereof, and first lock structure on each of said leg housings and said container and second lock structure on each of saId support legs, shifting of said leg assemblies from the intermediate configurations to the supporting configurations thereof effecting movement of said first and second lock structures to a locking condition adapted for engagement with each other to lock said leg assemblies in the supporting configurations thereof; whereby the lifting means on the associated road vehicle may be operated to transfer said container from the road vehicle to the stationary support surface by raising said container above the body bolsters for providing clearance to shift said leg assemblies from the storage configurations to the intermediate configurations thereof and then lowering said container and said leg assemblies onto the support surface for thereby shifting said leg assemblies from the intermediate configurations to the supporting configurations thereof to support said container solely on said leg assemblies, and whereby the lifting means on the road vehicle may be operated to transfer said container from the stationary support surface to the road vehicle by raising said container above the support surface for thereby shifting said leg assemblies from the supporting configurations thereof to the intermediate configurations thereof and providing clearance for the shifting of said leg assemblies from the intermediate configurations thereof to the storage configurations thereof and then lowering said container bolsters onto the body bolsters.
 18. The container set forth in claim 17, wherein said container includes first and second pairs of container bolsters respectively mounted on said body wall adjacent to the opposite ends thereof, said leg housings being respectively secured to said container bolsters.
 19. The container set forth in claim 17, wherein each of said leg housings is mounted for horizontal pivotal movement with respect to said container, and each of said legs is mounted for vertical pivotal movement with respect to the associated one of said leg housings, each of said leg assemblies in the intermediate configuration thereof being arranged to accommodate vertical translational movement of said leg and said leg housing with respect to each other for shifting said leg assembly between the intermediate configuration and the supporting configuration thereof.
 20. The container set forth in claim 17, wherein each of said leg assemblies in the intermediate configuration thereof is constructed and arranged to accommodate vertical translational movement of said leg housing with respect to said leg when said leg is in contact with the underlying support surface for thereby shifting said leg assembly between the intermediate configuration and the supporting configuration thereof.
 21. A self-supporting container for use in a system for storing and for transporting ladings, wherein the system includes a road vehicle for transporting the container to and from an associated stationary support surface and including a first body bolster for receiving one end of the container and a second body bolster for receiving the other end of the container and lifting means for causing relative vertical movement between the container and the body bolsters; said container comprising a body wall defining a chamber for containing lading and having means for introducing lading thereinto and means for removing lading therefrom, a first container bolster mounted on said body wall adjacent to one end thereof and arranged to be seated upon and supported by the associated first body bolster on the road vehicle and a second container bolster mounted on said body wall adjacent to the other end thereof and arranged to be seated upon and supported by the associated second body bolster on the road vehicle, a first pair of support leg assemblies disposed adjacent to one end of said container and a second pair of support leg assemblies disposed adjacent to the other end of said container, each of said leg assemblies including a leg housing mounted on said container for pivotal movement about a first axis and a supPort leg mounted on said leg housing for pivotal movement with respect thereto about a second axis all to accommodate shifting of said leg assembly among a storage configuration and an intermediate configuration and a supporting configuration, each of said leg assemblies in the storage configuration thereof having all parts thereof disposed closely adjacent to said container for facilitating unencumbered transporting thereof, each of said leg assemblies in the intermediate configuration thereof having said leg housing extending laterally outwardly from said container and said leg extending substantially vertically downwardly from said housing and spaced from the associated support surface, each of said leg assemblies in the intermediate configuration thereof being arranged to accommodate translational movement of said leg housing and said support leg with respect to each other for shifting said leg assembly between said intermediate configuration and a supporting configuration, each of said leg assemblies in the supporting configuration thereof having said leg housing extending laterally outwardly from said container and said leg extending substantially vertically downwardly from said leg housing and resting upon the associated support surface to firmly support said leg housing and said container thereon, the leg assemblies in each pair of support leg assemblies being spaced apart a distance to receive the associated road vehicle therebetween when said leg assemblies are in the supporting configurations thereof, and first lock structure on each of said leg housings and said container and second lock structure on each of said support legs, shifting of said leg assemblies from the intermediate configurations to the supporting configurations thereof effecting movement of said first and second lock structures to a locking condition adapted for engagement with each other to lock said leg assemblies in the supporting configurations thereof; whereby the lifting means on the associated road vehicle may be operated to transfer said container from the road vehicle to the stationary support surface by raising said container above the body bolsters for providing clearance to shift said leg assemblies from the storage configurations to the intermediate configurations thereof and then lowering said container and said leg assemblies onto the support surface for thereby shifting said leg assemblies from the intermediate configuration to the supporting configurations thereof to support said container solely on said leg assemblies, and whereby the lifting means on the road vehicle may be operated to transfer said container from the stationary support surface to the road vehicle by raising said container above the support surface for thereby shifting said leg assemblies from the supporting configurations thereof to the intermediate configurations thereof and providing clearance for the shifting of said leg assemblies from the intermediate configurations thereof to the storage configurations thereof and then lowering said container bolsters onto the body bolsters.
 22. The container set forth in claim 21, wherein each of said leg housings includes a guide plate disposed for engagement with the associated support leg for guiding thereof during the shifting of said leg assembly from the storage configuration to the supporting configuration thereof.
 23. The container set forth in claim 21, wherein each of said leg housings includes a pivot pin disposed along said second axis, and each of said support legs has an elongated slot therein receiving said pivot pin therethrough for pivotal movement of said leg about said axis, said slot being disposed substantially vertically when said leg assembly is in the intermediate configuration thereof to accommodate vertical translational movement of said leg housing and said pivot pin with respect to said leg for shifting said leg assembly between the intermediate configuration and supporting configuration thereof.
 24. A self-supporting container for usE in a system for storing and for transporting ladings, wherein the system includes a road vehicle for transporting the container to and from an associated stationary support surface and including a first body bolster for receiving one end of the container and a second body bolster for receiving the other end of the container and lifting means for causing relative vertical movement between the container and the body bolsters; said container comprising a body wall defining a chamber for containing lading and having means for introducing lading thereinto and means for removing lading therefrom, a first container bolster mounted on said body wall adjacent to one end thereof and arranged to be seated upon and supported by the associated first body bolster on the road vehicle and a second container bolster mounted on said body wall adjacent to the other end thereof and arranged to be seated upon and supported by the associated second body bolster on the road vehicle, a first pair of support leg assemblies disposed adjacent to one end of said container and a second pair of support leg assemblies disposed adjacent to the other end of said container, each of said leg assemblies including a leg housing mounted on said container for pivotal movement about a first axis and a support leg mounted on said leg housing for pivotal movement with respect thereto about a second axis all to accommodate shifting of said leg assembly among a storage configuration and an intermediate configuration and a supporting configuration, each of said leg assemblies in the storage configuration thereof having all parts thereof disposed closely adjacent to said container for facilitating unencumbered transporting thereof, each of said leg assemblies in the intermediate configuration thereof having said leg housing extending laterally outwardly from said container and said leg extending substantially vertically downwardly from said housing and spaced from the associated support surface, each of said leg assemblies in the intermediate configuration thereof being arranged to accommodate translational movement of said leg housing and said support leg with respect to each other for shifting said leg assembly between said intermediate configuration and a supporting configuration, each of said leg assemblies in the supporting configuration thereof having said leg housing extending laterally outwardly from said container and said leg extending substantially vertically downwardly from said leg housing and resting upon the associated support surface to firmly support said leg housing and said container thereon, the leg assemblies in each pair of support leg assemblies being spaced apart a distance to receive the associated road vehicle therebetween when said leg assemblies are in the supporting configurations thereof, and a container abutment surface on said container adjacent to each of said leg housings and first and second housing abutment surfaces on each of said leg housings and first and second and third leg abutment surfaces on each of said legs, shifting of said leg assemblies from the intermediate configurations to the supporting configurations thereof effecting movement of said abutment surfaces to a locking condition cooperating with one another to lock said leg assemblies in the supporting configurations thereof, said first leg abutment surfaces cooperating with said container abutment surfaces in said locking condition for restraining said leg housings against pivotal movement about said first axes, said second leg abutment surfaces cooperating with said first leg housing abutment surfaces and with the weight of said container in said locking condition for restraining said leg housings and said legs against translational movement with respect to each other, said third leg abutment surfaces cooperating with said second leg housing abutment surfaces in said locking condition for restraining said legs against pivotal movement about said second axes; whereby the lifting means on the associated road vehicle may be opErated to transfer said container from the road vehicle to the stationary support surface by raising said container above the body bolsters for providing clearance to shift said leg assemblies from the storage configurations to the intermediate configurations thereof and then lowering said container and said leg assemblies onto the support surface for thereby shifting said leg assemblies from the intermediate configurations to the supporting configurations thereof to support said container solely on said leg assemblies, and whereby the lifting means on the road vehicle may be operated to transfer said container from the stationary support surface to the road vehicle by raising said container above the support surface for thereby shifting said leg assemblies from the supporting configurations thereof to the intermediate configurations thereof and providing clearance for the shifting of said leg assemblies from the intermediate configurations thereof to the storage configurations thereof and then lowering said container bolsters onto the body bolsters. 